Almost three-quarters of consumers spend nothing on apps

This entry was posted on May 25, 2012 by Pure Mobile.

By Aldo Panessidi

Back in January of this year, market research firm Deloitte estimated that 2012 will see entry-level smartphones become more popular with the number of sub-$100 smartphones in use globally will surpass 500 million this year, and by the end of 2012 there will be 200 million NFC-equipped devices in the hands of consumers. Moreover, it also maintained that it sees apps continuing to play a huge role in the mobile market, with the number of available apps set to top 2 million later this year.

More recently, a survey conducted by ABI Research reported that more than 70% of app users spend little to nothing on apps, while the highest 3% of all spenders account for nearly 20% of the total amount spent.

While nearly two-thirds of consumers in the United States have spent money on mobile applications on at least one occasion, the total amount being spent isn’t much. ABI senior analyst Aapo Markkanen stated, “The median amount among the consumers who spend money on apps is much lower than the average, just $7.50 per month. This reflects the disproportionate role of big spenders as a revenue source.”

ABI also found that the most successful money-making apps are utility apps used for business purposes and iOS games that utilize in-app purchases. In each case, purchases are made by a very small number of customers.